I found another way to modify this grinder without having to cut anything, and it is also reversible should you at some point wish to get the grinder back to its original form.The other problem with adjusting the grinder so it turns further / pushes the burr further down, is it comes to a stop against the solid mount around the bottom burr, but does not grind fine enough by the time it gets there and adjusting it so it can turn further won't help.

My way, instead of adjusting the top burr to move further down, I adjust the bottom burr up and leave the rest of the machine standard.

After stripping it as per your posts, also remove the part with the motor from its stand off's.Loosen the nut at the bottom which holds the bottom burr in the gearbox key. NOTE: it's right-hand thread. Also you need to hold the blades - turning the nut against the gearbox can break the gears.

After this is done, remove the bottom burr. You can now shim the burr up by placing a shim between the bottom of the burr and the plastic spacer beneath it. (use shim stock, or perhaps a copper washer). You will also need to remove one of the washers where the nut tightens as the shaft is no in effect shorter. Take out a flat washer, don't remove the spring washer.assembled the burr, put the top burr in place and first turn the motor with your hand to make sure the burrs are not touching. If the are, put in a thinner shim.

I shimmed it up 0.8mm (considering going to 0.9m or 1mm just to see how far it will go), but my grind is now very fine and extremely consistent.

On the Bodum's finest stock setting and tamped heavily, using some Guatemala FTO locally roasted last Monday, my Gaggia New Baby was delivering 2.5oz of volatile crema in ~16sec. Unacceptable. So I had to try this.

My experience was similar to carby's (differences italicized): unscrew 4 Phillips screws, unscrew the timer knob bushing nut and free the timer pc board from the housing, twist/stretch the housing off, unsnap the slotted white ring, turn the perforated ring 6 holes clockwise, re-snap slotted white ring into place, trim the first stop rib down (directions say trim the housing, but that's a lot of trimming for a dull pen knife in a precarious workspace), cut out some of the internal thread on the burr adjustment ring so the outer burr can slide in/out in the new "open" position, reassemble.

I tested this morning by pulling a shot via my normal protocol, but ground 4 steps (two dots) finer than the old espresso stop with a medium tamp. The shot finished in ~29sec, with much better flavor but lackluster body and insufficient crema dotted with medium-sized very dark spots. I'll call that a partial success and a suggestion that I need to recalibrate my protocol next time I buy beans.

If you're still out there, nikil511, thanks for your pioneering efforts and fine photo-documentation!

Hi guys, just a post (my first) to say that I followed the guide but actually used Pdm's method and it works a bloody treat also very consistent. I had the torx one and bought the tamperproof screwdriver but really it would've been easier and cheaper to just break the pokey bits on the screwheads. The pulling apart of the system was HORRIBLE and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I had a few close calls especially with the on/off switch. Be careful and if it snaps and flies off, it should go back on with a click (found that out hard way).

The washers I used were a 0.5mm thickness and a 0.25mm one together. Putting the burr back in takes a lot of jiggling but it eventually sits flush enough to take out 1 of the (mine had 3 and a curvey washer thing) washers from just under the nut. If you were thinking like me that you can just take one washer out and move it around, you can't! The lower burr has an axle that is quite fat. I think the washers need to have an inner diameter of around 1cm, maybe 0.8mm. BUT they also need a very thin profile as the plastic part between the burr and the gearbox has some bullplop circle things to keep it stable. I had to slice a tiny bit off of mine to make it fit but it seems to be ok.

All in all, this mod I rate very highly for results but as for process... let's say it's not for the faint of heart!

I know this was awhile ago that this thread was created, but could you give me more advice or step by step instructions on how to move the bottom burr or link to the correct washer I would need to do this mod??? Please help!

I've now taken my bistro past the 6 mark point. In fact, I stopped measuring and just cut another 5mm from the plastic part that stops the inner thread rotating, so that the hopper can be rotated even further. I now have a pretty fine grind, comparable to espresso powder bought from the store - I know it tastes bad, was just to play with! The grinder seems fine, and I only ever grind ~14g at a time so aren't too worried about overheating. Hopefully this isn't misplaced confidence!

BUT...when pulling the first test shot, I encountered a problem. Maybe you can help? I tamped pretty hard and then flicked the switch. The coffee started to come through after a couple of seconds (fast) and for a couple more seconds it seemed fine, nice tails etc, but then started pouring frothy, creamy water and filled my shot vessel in a second or two.

I found another way to modify this grinder without having to cut anything, and it is also reversible should you at some point wish to get the grinder back to its original form.The other problem with adjusting the grinder so it turns further / pushes the burr further down, is it comes to a stop against the solid mount around the bottom burr, but does not grind fine enough by the time it gets there and adjusting it so it can turn further won't help.

My way, instead of adjusting the top burr to move further down, I adjust the bottom burr up and leave the rest of the machine standard.

After stripping it as per your posts, also remove the part with the motor from its stand off's.Loosen the nut at the bottom which holds the bottom burr in the gearbox key. NOTE: it's right-hand thread. Also you need to hold the blades - turning the nut against the gearbox can break the gears.

After this is done, remove the bottom burr. You can now shim the burr up by placing a shim between the bottom of the burr and the plastic spacer beneath it. (use shim stock, or perhaps a copper washer). You will also need to remove one of the washers where the nut tightens as the shaft is no in effect shorter. Take out a flat washer, don't remove the spring washer.assembled the burr, put the top burr in place and first turn the motor with your hand to make sure the burrs are not touching. If the are, put in a thinner shim.

I shimmed it up 0.8mm (considering going to 0.9m or 1mm just to see how far it will go), but my grind is now very fine and extremely consistent.

Hi Guys, On the shims - I just rummaged through all my washers and found the right ones. Given I have an immense amount as we're into cars etc. Otherwise go to your local bolt and nut shop and take a vernier with, washers are very cheap I'm sure you'll get it there.

On the shot going faster - how fresh are your beans? If they haven't aired out after roasting (they need a week or so) this can happen. How much crema do you have? With channeling you'll have very little, with fresh beans there will be more than usual.

On that mod I posted - I recommend actually taking the gearbox apart as well and making sure the ball bearings holding the tension on the drive plate is properly fitted. Just sticking the shaft back in and then shoving it around can cause the drive plate to move. If this has happened you might hear your grinder making a "clacking" noise while grinding. No bigger, just check the ball bearings are in their place.

On that mod I posted - I recommend actually taking the gearbox apart as well and making sure the ball bearings holding the tension on the drive plate is properly fitted. Just sticking the shaft back in and then shoving it around can cause the drive plate to move. If this has happened you might hear your grinder making a "clacking" noise while grinding. No bigger, just check the ball bearings are in their place.

Can you give me more explanation on what steps i need to do to complete this mod. I don't want to go into it blind. I understand taking the grinder apart, but what are the steps after that with addition to the ball bearings, etc.

Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post

Forum Rules:No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards.No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum.No SEO style postings will be tolerated. SEO related posts will result in immediate ban from CoffeeGeek.No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum.Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards.Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics.Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies.Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies.Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts.Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.